Panamanian health authorities remain expectant on Monday in view of the adverse reactions reported by some countries after the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
In statements to the press, Health Minister Luis Francisco Sucre assured that the Ministry and epidemiology teams are monitoring this information and will not approve its use for the time being.
Last November, the Panamanian Government approved the purchase of 1,92,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the Council of Ministers authorized payment of 20 percent of the total cost of the vaccine, produced in association with the University of Oxford.
These days, local media reflected on the decision made in European countries such as the Netherlands and Italy to suspend the administration of this vaccine, after severe reactions and deaths were reported.
The team of experts appointed by the Government for the design of the national immunization strategy assured that the first condition for the acquisition of a vaccine is that it must be duly tested and authorized by the World Health Organization (WHO).
After the arrival last week of the fifth batch of Pfizer-BionTech, Panama accumulates 287,660 vial bottles, which represents 64 percent of the 450,000 agreed upon with US and German pharmaceutical companies for the first quarter of this year.
In addition to this amount, three million doses of Sputnik V, urgently requested to Russia, are expected to arrive in March to continue the immunization campaign, which began on January 20. (PL)
